No Place Like Home week 3 (recipes)

 Merry Christmas everyone! 

Last week I shared about our Christmas Day  Brunch.  We, traditionally, enjoy a Christmas Quiche,  Cranberry  walnut scones, fruit compote, various juices and coffee.

                                                         The recipes are as follows:

Christmas Quiche

(Quick Impossible Quiche)

12 slices of bacon, crisp and crumble, or sub. an equal amount  of cut up ham, sautéed with the veggies listed below in a small amount of oil.

1/3 c. Chopped onion

1/2 c chopped red pepper

2 c. Milk or half and half      4 eggs slightly beaten

1/2 c Bisquick ,   1/4 tsp. Salt,    1/8 tsp pepper,   1/8  tsp. Nutmeg

Grease a 9 or 10 inch pie plate, sprinkle the bacon,  and sautéed veggies ; or the ham with veggies on bottom of the pie pan.  Sprinkle the cheese on top. In a bowl, blend the eggs, milk , and dry ingredients,. If you like you can sprinkle in to the mixture a bit of Worcestershire sauce for zingy flavor. . Pour the mixture over the cheese in the pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden on top and the sides pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Another   brunch item  which is a huge hit with the family are my 

Cranberry Walnut scones!

 

3 c. Virginia's Best  self rising flour

1T. baking powder      1/2 c. sugar

 3/4 c. butter sliced into  small cubes  to make working in  easier

1 c. fresh  or dried,  fresh are best cranberries

1/2 chopped English walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 T. orange zest

1 c. buttermilk ( I usually make it by  adding 1 T. of vinegar to  milk)

Stir togetrher the dry ingredients.  Rub the butter into the mixture uintil only coarse crumbs form,  like cornmeal.  Incorporate the butter evenly... no  large chunks.  Stir in the cranberries, nuts and zest..

Add the buttermilk and mix with a fork until evenly moistened. Do not mix it too much..  you want to see it come together  then flour it out on a floured board.  this will be a wet  sticky  dough.  Flour ahnds to  gently    shape into a ball..   It whould be very pliable and  afgain  do not  mess with it  too muchl.  you want a tender dough.  but not sticky.  Pat dough into a3/4 inch thick circle.   Do not panic if you have  doughy fingers. I always do. SInce it is a moist  dough I incorporate just enough  flour to    til it isnt so sticky.  

Cut round with a biscuit cutter  and place on a greased sheet Brush tops  with cream or mmilk and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 400 for 14-16  minutews or until  beginning to  be golden on top.  I usually sprinkle  powdered sugar on top to  when I plate them.

 Cream Topping..

YUM!!

8 oz. cream cheese    I have used mascapone.. yum!

1 T. zest

2 T. honey   I have used orange marmelade. .yum

 Mix it all together and  serve in small dish  with scones for spreading 

Another side dish:

Brandied Fruit

Stick of cinnamon

4 lady apples (small)      4 pears sliced

Dried apricots

 orange juice  and   2 T.  brandy

dash of lemon juice

I take license with this recipe.  I add sugar, sometimes,  cloves,   butter.  whatever  I think will make this particular  batch better.  just  an idea..

I have also fried some apples  in butter and spices and  added  a can of cranberry sauce with whole berries  and no brandy..  the main thing is make it delicious and have fun!